My initial reaction was reminiscent of Don from Napoleon Dynamite. Source.wikia
In the next week, I was making progress. I analyzed my place ahead of time and started to mentally draw the outline to my paper. I thought I knew exactly what to say and how to say it.
However, with the integration of the weekly workshop, I quickly discovered incorporating Vanclay into my paper was going to turn the project upside down. It was a critical error and I needed to step back and regroup.
During peer-review week I became so bogged down with all the uninteresting details and blank conclusions of my observation notes and failed to prioritize my time. I couldn't get a grip on being so overwhelmed, and shortly thereafter I became sick. Sick enough to miss a Monday.
Peer-review week sunk me. If I would have been more proactive with my time, it would have made catch-up week easier. Now in the future I will know to go straight to the source and speak to Professor Linthicum, or read over the notes and draft a whole new essay.
Reading the things my group said about my paper helped me to understand how my audience is going to view my paper. It really brought a new side to the project.
The first time I observed at the Hayden Library entrance, I quickly grasped onto the small details instead of the main points. This is the reason my paper fell apart in week two. When I observed again I was able to compare and contrast from the last time I observed. Then, I saw what changed and what stayed the same. It helped to clear my mind and I was able to focus on something that would work in conjunction with Vanclay.
Frustration was just an inevitable part of the process. After a while I became so sick with analyzing the front of the Hayden Library I just wanted to say, "it's dirty, too crowded, kids ignore you and most of them inconsiderately smoke in your face." Obviously this wouldn't have been an adequate representation. I just had to push through it and keep asking myself, "So what?"
Once I focused on the place, and how it directly affected the behavior of the people in the library, I was able to gain a better understanding of the human behavior present. that without this space, none of this could be possible. It was like a stage. It affected the actors and I needed to view the stage before the actors had a chance to come out from behind the wings and tell me the story.
In my future college endeavors, I hope to come away from this project with many critiques on my paper. I'm going to focus on my weaknesses and work to improve them. This is the first English class that has challenged me since 2008.
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